11 THE BARD AND THE BULLDOG We cannot doubt; we need not doubt. If we do our duty, victory will be our reward . . . . We shall once again have brought the great British Commonwealth, and all it stands for, safely through one of the greatest convulsions which have ever shaken humanity . . . . You young men here may be in the battle, in the fields or in the high air . . . but let keen vision, courage and humanity guide our steps . . . .”14 Churchill made sure to include the duty and honor demanded of the boys of Harrow for their nation, and ultimately, their families. Whether speaking to troops in the field or future soldiers, sailors, and airmen at a boys’ school, Churchill understood what Henry also knew: people are inspired when called to protect that which they hold most dear—their home and homeland. The speech Henry gives at Harfleur closes with an emotional appeal to God and the country. In a short flurry of phrases, Henry spurs on his men with words that affirm friendship, the homeland, and faith: “The game’s afoot. / Follow your spirit, and upon this charge / Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!” (III.i.34-36). Henry reminds his men they not only fight for him as king, but they fight for their land they love so dearly. Even more so, they fight a righteous war under the leadership of Saint George. Shakespeare puts a key phrase in Harry’s mouth when he says, “Cry ‘God for . . .’ This battle is not just about doing the Lord’s work. It is the Lord working on their behalf. Henry’s speech demonstrates motivation from a man driven by divine inspiration. Churchill, similarly, drew on divine inspiration. Alan Stone writes, “During World War I, as Britain suffered through the horrible sacrifice of its young men in the muddy trenches of France, an invincible Henry V reminded audiences that God was on their side. No wonder that Churchill in his darkest hours thought to call on the glory of Henry V once again.”15 Churchill understood the importance of appealing to God in the nation’s hour of need. In a 1940 speech entitled, “Be Ye Men of Valour,” Churchill, like Henry, appealed to the Most High as being on the side of England.
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